American Jessie Diggins wins 2nd cross-country Tour de Ski title
32-year-old's win 3 years ago was country's 1st victory in the competition
Jessie Diggins won a second title for the United States in cross-country skiing's Tour de Ski on Sunday, three years after securing America's first victory in the competition.
Diggins, who is from Afton, Minn., began the seventh and final stage of the competition raced in Italy and Switzerland with a 43-second lead.
The 32-year-old Diggins placed sixth in the 10-kilometre leg. That was enough to claim her second title with an overall time of four hours, 13 minutes, 19 seconds. She finished almost 32 seconds ahead of Norway's Heidi Weng overall. Kerttu Niskanen of Finland was third.
In 18 years of the marathon competition, Diggins' victory in 2021 and her third place six years ago are the only other podium finishes by an American man or woman.
Shinning on both the distance and sprint stages, the great <a href="https://twitter.com/JessieDiggins?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jessiediggins</a> 🇺🇸claims her 2nd Tour de Ski victory at the summit of Alpe Cermis 🏆 <br><br>At the peak of effort, a mental triumph, congrats Jessie. 🤯<br><br>📸: <a href="https://twitter.com/NordicFocus?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nordicfocus</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/fiscrosscountry?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#fiscrosscountry</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/tourdeski?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#tourdeski</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/fistourdeski?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#fistourdeski</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/winner?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#winner</a> <a href="https://t.co/l0z2PsfztH">pic.twitter.com/l0z2PsfztH</a>
—@FISCrossCountrySunday's stage in Val di Fiemme, Italy, which culminated in the ultra-steep Alpe Cermis climb, was won by Diggins' teammate Sophia Laukli.
Diggins also has Olympic gold, silver and bronze medals in the sport and last year became the first American to win world championship gold in an individual cross-country ski race.
